Relfections and Meditations
by Narc626
Summary: On a very special Mutation day, April takes time to reflect on how her life changed so much ten years ago and the family she gained from it. No Pairings. Turtles and april see each other strictly in a brother/sister sense. Turtle April/ Mutant April. Major AU


Author Note: a picture I found of Michelangelo and April inspires this. Don't know who the artist was, and I haven't been able to find it again. Luckily I have it saved on my phone. Will only be the one chapter for now. Based on 2012 CGI TMNT series. Major AU.

Chapter 1: Reflections and Meditations

A paper door slid open and closed as a slim figure quietly made her way into the meditation and practice room. It was one of the largest rooms in the underground complex in the sewers the occupants called home. It was complete with training mats covering the floor and weapons racks in a small adjacent room. Oddly enough there was a large and healthy tree near the back of the "dojo".

There was a single person in the room currently. Or Former person would be more accurate. The person was in fact now a human sized rodent wearing Japanese attire. In a past life he had been known as Hamato Yoshi.

The young figure ran a three-fingered hand through her red hair as she took a meditative seat next to the rodent master. She had her hair in a short, low ponytail, several short bangs hung in front of her face. She wore a yellow hair band on top of her head. The figure let out a small sigh as she tried fall into a meditative state as the old master next to her had taught. She had trouble though; it was ten years ago today. Hard to believe it has already been that long. Had it really been ten years now? She still remembered when she was six. When it happened.

_A six-year-old girl stumbled around in a back alley of New York City. She had just ran away from her fathers house when she discovered he was about to cover her four brand new baby turtles in some weird green stuff. The small red head had immediately charged into to retrieve the baby turtles crying out "don't pick on them meanie!" the little read head had subsequently been splashed in the glowing ooze along with her pet turtles. The strange glowing stuff felt so weird on the girl as she had scooped up her beloved pets and fled the little apartment and out into the night. Shortly after several scary men in suits had appeared and chased her. The little red head barely escaping them by squeezing into a sewer drain. The ooze had long since stop tingling and had began BURNING. The small six year old had been barely able to stand. That's when sensei had found her. She could barely see through the pain racking her child frame. She had only managed to say one thing before consciousness slipped away._

"_Help… me… it hurts… so …bad."_

_The girl had awoken later in what looked to be an underground home in the sewer. She was laying in a futon set on the ground inside a large room with weirdly enough, a tree in the back of it. Not a very large one, but still. There was a small shelf with several items on it, including a picture with an Asian family in it. As she took in her surroundings the little girl had suddenly realized her body felt weird. Looking at her hands the young red head saw instead of ten small fingers, she had six scaly digits. She frantically looked her whole body over. She had become a walking turtle. Her favorite dress nothing but ruined scraps of fabric hanging from her now shell. The little girl began to hyperventilate and panic. A Man sized rat entered really causing the six-year-old mutant to panic even more. He had seen this and rushed over, his voice carrying words of comfort._

"_Peace child. Peace, you are safe now." The old rat had spoken gently _

"_WH….What… happened to… to...ME!?" the red haired mutant whimpered as she pushed her face into the old rats chest. He just allowed the little mutant to cry into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her protectively._

"_I twill be alright little one. " The old rat gently stroked the little mutants hair to calm her. "It will be alright."_

_The Red head was quickly informed that her four pet turtles had also been changed into a humanoid form as well. Her new pets were now mutant turtles? The old rat had introduced himself as "Splinter" and that she and her new brothers as he had called them were welcome to stay. Splinter explained that the ooze had the ability to change living things into other things, like how she was now a humanoid turtle. The little red head of course opted to stay with splinter out of fear of her father and the fear of the identical looking men in suits coming for her again. Splinter raised and trained the five turtles over the intervening ten years as Shinobi, or ninja. The little mutants brothers were each given a name, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo. As for the little mutant girls name?_

"April, wake up."

April O'Neil was jolted out of her memory-induced trance by a gentle nudge on her shoulder, Her clear blue eyes snapping open. She looked over at master Splinter, a slightly startled look on her face.

"Ah! Sensei! I was…" April trailed off as her face colored in embarrassment.

"Sleeping?" Splinter offered wryly.

"Meditating!" April replied, flustered. "I was meditating."

"Indeed." Splinter chuckled. "But come, today is a special day." He turned and exited the Dojo.

April hopped up form her seated position. She compulsively ran a three-fingered hand through her red hair again. It was the only thing left of her that was human really. And so she was a little OCD when it came to maintaining that link to her former human life. She took painstaking care that her red hair was not damaged by living in the sewer with her family as she did. April quickly adjusted the large obi style dark yellow bow around her middle. A dark leather belt over it held a jet-black steel fan in place, April's chosen weapon. The leading edge of the fan was razor sharp and could cut through stone. It could also be thrown and caught like a boomerang. April had white wrappings around her wrists and thigh high wrappings on her slim legs. Black open toed cloth shoes cover her two toed feet.

April quickly followed Master splinted out into the common area where her brothers were crowded around a TV watching old vhs tapes of Voltron. (I have no idea what the name of the show they watch is, but I know it is supposed to be an analogue of Voltron, aka Beast King GOlion or Armored Fleet Dairugger as it is known in Japan.)

"April!" Michelangelo shouted with a big smile on his face. "You just in time Sis! Were just started a Voltron marathon! It will totally be amazing!" the orange masked nunchuck wielder bounced on his toes excitedly. "Happy mutation day!"

Mutation day. It was day that April's brothers became what they are. For ten years they celebrated it, kind of like a birthday. Mutation day. The day that changed April's life forever. She was never quite as enthusiastic as her brothers about mutation day. She was more subdued on this particular mutation day because less than two weeks ago April and her brothers had confronted her own father, her real father. It had ended in him becoming a giant bat monster. To top it off April's father had been secretly working not only for the Kraang aliens, but also as a mole for the Shredder. Not a good day to say the least. April's father even had the nerve to mock her, calling her a freak of nature.

"Sorry Mikey," April put on a fake smile. "I'm not really up for TV right now. " April turned and walked over to her personal room. April's room was a modest affair with several slightly ratty stuffed animals and dolls. She sighed slightly remembering how her father had treated her, even after being mutated himself. Sure she hadn't seen him in almost ten years, but it still cut deep to him so casually talk about how glad he was she had been gone and that he would have preferred the mutagen simply killed her instead of making her a "freak".

"You ok?" April looked over her shoulder at Donatello. The purple masked staff wielder and local tech junkie wore a look of concern on his face.

"Yeah…. No… I don't know "April sighed in reply. Seeing her estranged father after all this time. Him claiming to not even want her. Him mutating. The revelation that he worked for the sworn enemy of her family, The Shredder.

"Is it about what Dr. O'Neil said?" Donnie asked placing a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder. "That guy was a creep April. You shouldn't let what he said get to you. You're amazing. We couldn't ask for a better big sister than you."

"I know Donnie, but he was my father, my birth father." April replied. "How do you deal with being told you were never really loved? That you were just an 'Experiment'? That you are not wanted? He said I was a freak, that I needed to be put down." April looked at her hands, clenching them into fists, a small tear rolling down the side of her cheek.

"By remembering that you ARE wanted." April spun to face the entrance of her room. Master splinter and her brothers were standing there. "You are loved April. You have your brothers. You have your home here. You have me." Splinter stated affectionately.

"We're here for you April." Leonardo added, a smile adorning the blue masked swordsman. "You're family. We'd never abandon you, and we never will."

"Leo's right April." Raphael chimed in. The red masked sai user then smirked. "I mean who else is gonna make sure Mikey here stays house broken."

"Hey!" Mikey cried out indignantly. "I am too house broken …Wait …I mean… ARGH… not cool bro!"

April could help but giggle at her brother's antics.

"As you can see, you do have family that loves you." Splinter began. " Do not allow the words of a man with nothing but ugliness in his heart color your sense of self-worth." Splinter walked dup to the female mutant he called a daughter. "You are so much stronger than that man could possibly know. You are cunning, smart, strong, and beautiful. That he could not see it is not your failing, but his. We may not be family by blood, but I am and will always be proud to call you daughter. " Splinter placed a loving hand on Aprils shoulder. "You have grown in to a fine young woman, and a finer Kunoichi."

"Thank you Sensei." April smiled warmly, feeling so much better. She wrapped her arms around splinter in a big hug. That's right. She had a family. This was her family. She was loved here. That's all she needed, Her brothers and her sensei. "Thanks for everything father."

"And thank you my daughter, and you too my sons." Splinter hugged his surrogate daughter back. "Now come. I believe today is to be a happy one of celebration. I believe they will be showing a marathon of my favorite show. Murder she wrote." The old rat smiled as he turned and walked back into the common area.

"what!?" Mikey cried out in distress. "We were gonna watch Voltron!" He chased after splinter.

"We never agreed to that!" Raph shot out angrily, hot on Mikey's heels. " I say we Watch Godzilla movies!"

"Wait. What about the special on giant tortoises I wanted to watch on National Geographic_!_?" Donnie quickly followed after his two brothers.

"No way!" Leo shouted running out as well. "The New Season of Ninja Warrior starts today!"

April laughed happily. Not able to resist getting her two cents in, April dashed out of her room declaring "No way guys! I wanted to Watch my collection of Sailor Moon super S!"

"NOT A CHANCE!" Her four brothers cried out in unison. April laughed again. It was good to be home.

Author Note: So what do you think? Please for the love of god, REVIEW THE DAMN STORY! You guys are killing me with this lack of input. Do you like? Hate It? Give me SOMETHING at least. I have a few ideas about continuing this story line, but haven't quite decided yet. Any input you give me will be greatly appreciated. A picture I found online featuring Mikey and April cuddling on the ground looking up and smiling with big grins inspired this story. April is a mutant turtle in the picture and it is in the style of the 2012-cgi series. Bonus points to any one who can find the picture and tell me who the artist is. The picture was actually pretty cool. I use it as my phones wallpaper.


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